Seventh Heaven for Giants in Sheffield Success

First Period

The home side had the first real chance of the game when Scott Conway tested Matt Greenfield before Bo Hanson fired his rebound wide. Mike Lee then dumped over the bar before Ryan Smith worked Greenfield again. Brett Ritchie had the first chance of the game for Sheffield but, soon after, Scott Conway gave the hosts the lead when he one-timed a JJ Piccinich pass into the net from the right hash marks. (1-0).

Stephen Harper was on a one-man mission to get the visitors back into it but both he and captain Kevin Tansey found Jackson Whistle in the way. The Giants soon doubled their lead when Jordan Kawaguchi finished at the back post from Jake Gaudet’s delivery. (2-0).

They weren’t finished there either as, despite a scramble in front of Whistle’s net the Steelers could not get on the board and Lee rifled home through a crowd of bodies in front of goal to send the hosts in with a healthy lead at the first intermission. (3-0).

Second Period

Kawaguchi almost had his second at the beginning of the second, but he was denied from a narrow angle as was Dominic Cormier at the other end. However, the hosts were not to be denied as Ryan Smith finished after being teed up by Marcus Eriksson (4-0).

Conway then rattled the post as he also went in search of his second of the night with the Giants keeping the pressure up. Aaron Fox’s side did respond with Mitchell Balmas and Ritchie digging in front of the net to no avail. Cormier also had an effort deflected over the top.

After heaping the pressure on, Sheffield was hit on the break, and it was that combination of Eriksson and Smith again with the Swede teeing up the Virginia-born forward for a clinical finish for the fifth of the night. (5-0).

The Steelers did get on the board in the second with Evan Jasper the man who got it (5-1). Kawaguchi and Balmas then traded good chances before the end of the period that saw the hosts ahead by four after 40 minutes.

Third Period

The Giants came out in the third hungry for more and Conway was denied by Greenfield and Smith came a crossbar’s width away from a hat-trick. Mikko Juusola had a scrambling chance to pull another one back for the visitors before Kawaguchi notched his second of the night after he batted down a puck that had been repelled by Greenfield off Smith’s shot (6-1).

Gabe Bast was next to try his luck while Gaudet shot over the bar. There was still time for one more as Ben Lake sprang Carsen Twarynski free. The Alberta native still had plenty of work to do but finished nicely to put the icing on the cake on what was a very fruitful weekend for the Giants (7-1).

Up Next

The Giants have a midweek road tilt with the Guildford Flames on Wednesday 21 January. That game is a 7:30pm start before they return to home ice on Saturday 24 January to host the Dundee Stars. Tickets are on sale now and available to purchase here.